Oceanic
by Rochelle Allison
Summary: Waterbeds can be sexy. Who knew? Edward and Bella, best friends to more-than-friends. Once a WitFit.
1. Chapter 1

_All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization._

_**this is a real light hearted romp. it's pulled from an earlier set of witfits. i thought it deserved a place of its own. :)**_

_**2 a day posts 'til we're done. if you're looking for deepness and meaning...um, this ain't it. lol.**_

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"Don't open them."

"I'm not… ouch…" My knee collided with something sharp and I stopped to bend down, rubbing the surely bruised skin. "If you want me to keep my eyes shut, you have to make sure I don't run into stuff."

Edward chuckled. "Sorry."

I felt him take my elbow and lead me further down the carpeted hallway. We paused, and then I heard him open the door to what was presumably his bedroom. I'd spent enough time in his house over the years, and I knew it as well as my own.

"Okay, here it is," he said, pulling me forward until something soft and solid hit my legs.

_His bed? Um…_

Before I could say anything, he gave me a soft shove, making me fall face-first onto his bed. I could hear him laughing hysterically behind me as I floundered.

"You're such an ass!" I snapped, ripping my hands away from my eyes. It was then I realized what his surprise was: he'd gotten a new bed.

A water bed.

He watched as the realization crossed my face. "Nice, huh?"

"Yeah, if you're into cheesy seduction scenes from the 80's," I teased, rolling on to my back.

Edward folded his arms, smirking arrogantly down at me. "Girls will love this. You know_ you_ do."

"It doesn't matter what I think," I said, rocking back and forth. I had to admit, it was pretty comfortable.

"Anyway, I don't need props to be successful. I could do 'em on the floor and they'd love it," he continued, grinning, enjoying my grimace of disgust. "This'll just enhance the ride."

"Right," I agreed sarcastically, wondering when he'd gotten so full of himself.

He flopped down on to the waterbed, making a wave slosh from one side to the other, jostling me in the process.

"Watch it now," I warned playfully as the ripples rolled us closer together. "You don't want the magical oceanic motions to arouse me."

"Wouldn't want that," he muttered, lying back and folding his hands behind his head.

We lay that way for a while, talking and joking around, every once in a while purposely rocking the boat – so to speak.

I didn't realize I had fallen asleep until I woke up with a start.

"Shoot," I mumbled to myself, squinting in the dusky light. The daylight that had been streaming brightly through the blinds earlier had dimmed considerably; it wasn't night yet but would be soon.

Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes. Edward was fast asleep beside me, one arm thrown over his face. His shirt had ridden up, and I could just barely make out his belly button. His stomach was nice… ridiculously toned. I rolled my eyes, looking away. He'd always been into sports and over the past year had become obsessed with working out, too.

Carefully, I climbed off the bed and made my way to the bathroom attached to his bedroom. Minutes later, I felt my way back to the bed and sat - gently - down.

The stupid water bed overreacted, sending a huge ripple over to Edward's side, causing his body to undulate.

_Oh._

Okay, so… that wasn't too cool; I'd actually just gotten a little turned on. I shook my head, ridding myself of such thoughts, and reached over to wake up the boy I had known since sixth grade, the boy who, despite having grown into a fairly sexy man – mm, okay, really sexy, was still my_ friend._ And just a friend.

I had a thing for Jacob Black, and that's who I was supposed to meet up with later.

"What?" Edward yawned, once I'd succeeded in rousing him.

"It's late, I gotta go," I whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" he asked, in a normal voice.

"I don't know," I said, shrugging.

"What time is it?" He dug his phone of his pocket to check. "Almost seven. I'll walk you out."

"Whatever," I said, scooting toward the foot of the bed to better my chances of getting out successfully. This thing might be comfortable and maybe even sexy to some girls, but I found it impractical.

And a little cheesy.

"Bella?" His voice sounded amused…and higher than usual.

"What?" I paused, looking back over my shoulder.

"Are you," he inched forward and before I could stop him, very inappropriately snapped the back of my underwear, "wearing a thong?"

"Oh, I know you didn't just – " I huffed and tried to scramble away but he yanked me back by the belt loops of my jeans.

"Damn," he said, smiling. "Now I'm horny."

"Well, there's the bathroom," I pointed toward the little room.

"Shut up," he said, pushing me onto my back and coming closer. "I think I should experiment on you… you know, test out the seductive qualities of the waterbed."

My heart started pounding, even though I knew he was teasing. I didn't like how abruptly he'd made me react to his charms. What was going on with me today?

His eyes softened. "Hey, I was just kidding…" But he didn't move.

"I know," I said, my voice all shaky.

We looked at each other and it became one of those really awkward moments where you either kiss or don't. A point of no return.

Ah, screw it. I hooked my hands around his neck and pulled him down, kissing him before I lost the nerve… or got my sanity back.

"Mmm," he hummed, maneuvering his body as we kissed. The bed rock and rolled sordidly beneath us, and I giggled, breaking the kiss.

Edward was all smiles. "I knew this bed was a good idea."

Any giddiness I was experiencing dissipated and I realized I wasn't sure if he had in fact been experimenting on me or if he'd wanted to make out with me. I had, after all, initiated the kiss.

"I have to go," I said quietly, pushing softly on his chest I sat up. "I'm supposed to meet Jacob at the beach."

"Jacob Black?" he asked, scowling.

I paused, running my hands through my hair in an attempt to tame it. "Yeah, so?"

"So you kiss me and then you run off to someone else?"

My eyes had fully adjusted to the light by this point and I could see his face. He looked annoyed, obviously, but also a little…hurt?

"I thought you were experimenting," I said sheepishly, forcing myself to maintain eye contact.

"I wasn't."

"I didn't know you wanted to kiss me."

He shrugged. "I didn't."

"Okay…" I made it off the water bed and stood up, pulling the hem of my shirt down. "So then what the hell was that?"

"You kissed me first," he pointed out.

"Edward-"

"Bella."

"What?"

"Let's kiss some more."

I tried not to smile, but it didn't work. "Why?"

He stood close, making me feel fluttery. "Because it feels good. Especially on my new bed."

"Ugh, you and this bed," I groaned.

"It worked, didn't it?"

"…maybe."

"Definitely."


	2. Sea Salt

_All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization._

* * *

Jacob tackled me again, making sure to wrap his arms around my body so that when we hit the sand I wouldn't get too hurt.

"Oof," I grunted, the wind having been knocked from me anyway. "I thought we were playing Frisbee, Jake."

He grinned, jumping up and dragging me with him. "Sorry, I can't help it. Every time you catch it I get the urge to, to- "

"To jump on me," I finished wryly, brushing sand from my arms. "You're like an overzealous puppy."

"So you think I'm cute," he said cockily, shaking water from his short, spiky black hair.

Nodding, I bit down on my lip to hold in a smile. He _was_ very cute, and he knew I was attracted to him. He wanted me too – which is why he kept on asking me out. We'd kissed a couple times, no big deal really, but I'd have been lying if I said there wasn't chemistry between us.

He elbowed me, winking, and I rolled my eyes, tossing the Frisbee as far away as I could. I watched as he ran down the shore after it, his very toned, very muscular body a nice sight indeed.

It was an uncharacteristically bright and sunny day, a warm breeze blowing softly up and down the beach, and I was glad we'd decided to take advantage of it. We weren't the only ones; there were other groups scattered up and down the shore: sunning, splashing, or playing games like we were.

It had been awhile since I'd come to First Beach. Jacob and I had made plans to meet the night before but I'd cancelled at the last minute because I was exhausted.

Well, that was the lame excuse I'd given him, but while he was a jock he was by no means stupid, so I wasn't sure if he even believed me. The truth was I'd spent half the night in Edward's new waterbed, kissing and touching and rolling around. Nothing below the belt, of course, but…still. Thoughts of his mouth and his laugh kept distracting me and I didn't see the bright red Frisbee until it was inches from my face.

It went flying past me, despite my last minute attempts at grappling for it.

"Ha! What was that?" Jacob shouted gleefully, starting to jog over.

I spun around to pick it up, but Lauren Mallory had gotten to it first. She handed it to me, smiling.

"Uh, thanks Lauren," I said breathlessly. We were in the same class, but had never really been friends. We ran with different crowds; she was a little conceited, but friendly enough.

"It's cool," she shrugged, turning away from me to wave at someone coming down the beach.

I squinted, not recognizing the swim trucks or baseball cap…but I'd know the walk anywhere.

Well, well. Edward was here with Lauren; great.

He looked up and saw me, the corner of his mouth tugging upward, and my heart dropped to my feet; my face scorched with the memory of those lips on mine.

His almost-smile vanished as quickly as it had started – right as Jacob slid his arm around my waist.

"'Sup, Cullen," he called jovially.

Jacob and Edward kind of despised each other, but it was only because of football. They were quarterbacks on rival high school teams, so the animosity wasn't that major. My father had been friends with Jake's for years, so it was easy for me to overlook the whole football thing.

"Not a thing," Edward said casually, nodding at me. "Bella."

"Hey," I said, fiddling with the Frisbee.

"Hey, can we play?" Lauren asked, dropping her bag and shimmying out of her t-shirt and shorts. "I haven't played Frisbee in forever. You don't mind, right?"

"Sure, why not," Jake said amiably. He smirked at Edward. "You down?"

Edward pulled his shirt off and I averted my eyes, nervous Jake would wonder why the hell I had was suddenly so sunburnt in the face.

We began to play, Jake and me against Edward and Lauren, but as time went by the game went from light and fun to rowdy and aggressive. Jake and Lauren were having a grand old time, laughing and hollering and giving each other high fives - which made no sense, seeing they were supposed to be on opposite teams.

Jake tossed the Frisbee and it shot straight toward me before a brisk wind made it abruptly change its course, causing it to fly toward the ocean.

"Dammit!" I gasped, sorely out of shape as I chased the silly thing down. Edward ran alongside me, trying to get to it first.

"What are you-" I squealed, diving into the water at the same time he did.

The Frisbee floated away, caught by a surprisingly strong current. Determined, I swam toward it but Edward quickly overtook me and snatched it up.

"Ha!" he crowed, treading water and holding the bright red toy above water.

"Oh, whatever," I muttered, pushing my hair out of my face. "Unlike _some _people I wasn't on swim team for ten years."

"What a sore loser," he teased.

"Screw you."

His smile turned to a sneer. "Screw me? Or screw Jacob Black? Does he know why you couldn't come out last night?"

"You're here with Lauren Mallory," I pointed out, turning so I could start to make my way back toward shore. I noticed with faint alarm we'd drifted out much further than we'd meant to; the same riptide that had captured the Frisbee was now dragging us out rapidly.

"That's different," he said, frowning at the shoreline. "Come on, we have to swim alongside the current, not against it."

"Okay," I agreed, trying not to panic. Jake and Lauren were standing at the water's edge now, and though it was too hard to see their faces, I could tell they were concerned. I waved to them, noticing belatedly the twin yellow flags on opposite ends of the beach. Jake was a strong swimmer, but even he knew better than to get himself into our situation; if we didn't make headway soon he'd probably have to grab a lifeguard.

"How did we not see the yellow flags?" I groaned, beginning to feel winded.

"Stop talking and keep swimming," Edward gasped, sounding a little worn out himself.

Eventually we made it to the cliffs jutting out at one end of the beach, and he reached back, yanking me along as he reached a rock we could cling to. With my last shred of strength, I pulled myself up; grateful we were done battling the undertow. My arms were burning and sea salt was burning my eyes.

"You okay?" Edward panted, his hands splayed on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.

"Yeah," I said, my heart pounding furiously. "I can't believe you still have the Frisbee."

He chuckled. "Neither can I, actually."

We stayed still for a moment until a shout caught our attention. Jake and Lauren had followed us down, and were standing on the shore, waving for us to come in.

"We're coming," Edward yelled, scowling. "Jeez."

"What's wrong with you?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"Besides the fact we nearly drowned just now?"

"You're being pissy," I sighed, lowering myself back into the water. From here it was easy to wade from rock to rock and get back to the beach.

He slipped in beside me, grabbing my wrist with his free hand.

My heart skipped a beat, because we were now partly blocked from the beach and I knew what was coming. Shivering a little, I looked at him. "What?" I asked quietly, trying not to focus on his mouth.

"You know what," he said, pulling me closer and kissing me.


	3. Smoke

_All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization._

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Another Friday night bonfire.

Several bonfires, actually, and I knew people in every group: the smokers (stony times and shotguns), the drinkers (drinking games and chortles), the stargazers (um, stargazing) and the campfire types (chitchat and roasted marshmallows). That's the way it looked, but everyone was mingling and wandering around, blurring the lines. Forks was tiny and most of us had known each other since elementary; the concept of a high school caste system just didn't exist.

Even though I saw Edward at school all the time, we hadn't really talked since the weekend before. Even that had been 80% kissing and maybe 20% talking. I wasn't sure how I felt about him anymore, and that was frustrating. I mean, I'd always known he was cute - I saw girls eyeing him, heard their comments on the field during PE or in the line at lunch - I just had never wanted him in that way. Whether it had been a genuine lack of attraction or perhaps a subtler, subconscious decision not to interfere with our easy going friendship, I didn't know.

What I did know was that after the waterbed debacle, my kissing fantasies no longer starred Jacob Black…they starred Edward. He definitely seemed irritated at the mention of Jake, and had no problem planting a wet one on me when he felt like it, but we hadn't discussed How We Felt.

Frankly, we probably never would. Maybe it was better that way, simpler. His good looks and yummy kisses didn't automatically qualify him as boyfriend material. With the exception of Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley, most of the guys on the team preferred playing the field.

Pun totally intended.

"Why so quiet?" Alice asked, leaning toward me so she bumped my shoulder with hers. We were currently stationed at the drinker's fire, but that might have to change because apparently another round of drinking games was starting and that wasn't my thing. Mainly because I sucked at games like that. And I couldn't hold my liquor. And playing games while inebriated made me worse at the games which then led to further drunkenness and I knew that was the point but still. No.

"Bella!" she laughed, shoving me.

I caught myself before keeling over on to the blanket. "Sorry! I was just …" I trailed off, not sure _what_ I was doing.

"Were you with the smokers?" she asked, her voice accusatory.

"No! Jeez," I cried, making a face. "I can be out of it _naturally_ you know."

"Hmm." She nodded thoughtfully. "Is Jacob coming tonight?"

"Yeah, he had to pick up Quil and Embry first though. You know how that goes."

Rosalie floated over to us, smelling like pot and peppermint. "Hey, babies," she cooed, dropping to her knees in the sand. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Nothing. Why do you smell like-" I sniffed her. "Christmas?"

"Schnapps," she said, winking at me. She was drunk though, and probably a little stoned, so it just made her look silly.

Alice giggled. "You see, that's why I don't smoke."

"But Emmett-" Rose breathed dreamily.

"Yes, Emmett. I don't know how he's captain of the football team - he smokes like a damn chimney," I snorted, glancing over at the tow-headed object of Rose's affections. It looked like he was doing bong rips now.

"You guys, I have the munchies. I need s'mores. Get it? I need s'more?" Rose grinned.

"Hilarious," I agreed dryly. Alice and I stood, pulling Rose up too. "Come on."

We walked over to where there was an abundance of marshmallows and chocolate.

And Edward.

"Hey," I said, a little surprised. I hadn't seen when he'd arrived.

"Omygoshedward you have to give me some of those," Rose gasped, salivating.

"Hey," he said, looking up at us as he handed Rose several marshmallows speared on a skewer. She wandered away, probably returning to Emmett. Alice curled her fingers around my arm. "I see Jazz, gotta go."

_Thanks, guys. Way to abandon your girl._

Wondering if Edward had come with another girl or just the guys, I snuck a glance around the fire.

"What are you doing?" he asked, frowning.

"Nothing," I said, sitting down. "So... what are you up to?"

He quirked an eyebrow. "Nothing."

The silence was awkward. Great.

"Is Lauren here?" I asked, reaching for a nearby bag of marshmallows.

"I don't know," he shrugged, leaning back on his elbows.

I wasn't sure if he felt weird too, now, and I hated that. Did he even want me sitting by him? Was he waiting for something or for some_one_? And why did it suddenly feel like he had the upper hand? Did he feel different toward me at all or was I just making this up in my mind?

"So where's your boyfriend?" he teased, watching as I carefully poked my stick into the fire. Tendrils of smoke, both wispy and thick, rose up from the fire. I loved the smell of burning wood.

"If you mean Jacob, I don't know. He said he'd be here," I replied extra-casually.

"Obviously that's who I mean."

I rolled my eyes. "Why do you care?"

"Same reason you care if Lauren's here," he said smugly.

Yeah, he had me there.

"So has she experienced the World Class Waterbed?" I joked, pulling my marshmallows out. They were perfectly charred, and my mouth watered at the sight.

"Yeah."

My stomach knotted abruptly and I paused, no longer hungry. "Oh."

"What do you mean, 'oh'?"

I glared down at him. "Why are you like that? This is just, _ugh._ I don't know. "

"You're catching feelings, I get it," he chuckled arrogantly.

He _chuckled._

I wanted to kill him.

Instead, I grabbed a handful of the sticky white goo on my stick and smeared it all over his stupid, sexy, smirking face.

He sat up, murder in his eyes. "What the f-"

Jumping up, I made my escape, not wanting to deal with the aftermath. Granted, it was very satisfying to shut him up, but still. He was pissed now; I'd _definitely _crossed a line.

Forget that. We'd crossed the line when we'd kissed in the damn waterbed.

Problem was, there was nowhere to hide - plus, I wasn't even sure what I was hiding from. He wouldn't like, hurt me, would he? He'd probably try to get me back, and marshmallow would be a bitch to get out of my hair. I hovered behind Rose and Emmett, who were snuggling and snickering over s'mores.

"Hey Bella-baby," Rose said sweetly, not finding it strange I was cowering behind her and Emmett.

"Shh."

"What're you doing?" Emmett whispered turning a glazed, goofy grin in my direction.

"Hiding," I whispered back.

"From who?"

"From me," Edward growled, yanking me up by the back of my hoodie.

"Stop it, let go!" I screeched, floundering. Rose fell back on to her towel, laughing hysterically.

Edward slung me roughly over his shoulder, his shoulder making contact with my gut and knocking the breath from me. "Ow!" I yelled, pummeling my fists into his back. He rubbed his sticky face against the back of my thigh, getting goo all over my skin.

"You think you're funny," he muttered, carrying me past the cat calls and laughter. It was hard to see, hanging upside down, but I was beginning to feel more than a little embarrassed, my ass stuck up in the air like that.

It had only been a few seconds, but if felt longer, and then I noticed the glow of the bonfires give way to darkness.

"Edward, I'm sorry. I'm sorry! Where are you going?" I gasped, trying to straighten up somehow.

Water. I could hear the steady rush of the tide as it pulled in and out; feel Edward's body falter as he sank into wet sand. He hadn't said anything else, and that was freaking me out.

"I said," I said, clenching his shirt in my fists, "I was sorry. Do not drop me in there, Edward."

Slowly, he eased me off of his shoulder, sliding my body down the front of his. My face throbbed as the blood rushed out of it and I breathed deeply, trying to compose myself.

He smiled and threw me into the chilly, dark water.

For some reason, instead of being epically angry, I was mortified. A few people had followed us and were standing at the water's edge, their hands over their mouths as they tried not to laugh outright. Edward frowned, coming toward me like he was sorry or something.

Standing up, I trudged out of the water and onto the beach, shivering violently. Alice, Emmett and Rose appeared, looking back and forth between me and Edward. Rose grabbed my hand, my predicament seeming to sober her up.

"Dude," Emmett said, looking at Edward in disgust.

"Can you just drive me home?" I whispered to Rose, horrified that hot tears were streaming down my cheeks. Slowly the onlookers began to walk away, and Emmett tore his sweatshirt off, thrusting it at me.

"Bella," Edward began.

"Get the hell out of here," Rose snapped, shoving him away. She and Alice hovered around me, helping me peel the sopping hoodie off so I could replace it with the warm fleece of Emmett's.

I peeked back at Edward as we walked away, but he was staring out at the sea, rubbing marshmallow off his face.


	4. Rapport

_All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization._

* * *

My phone vibrated around ten am.

I ignored it and rolled over, but then it vibrated again, and continued doing so until it had thrown itself off the nightstand. Unfortunately I needed to pee, so staying cocooned in bed wasn't an option at the moment anyway. Rolling out of bed, I snatched the little phone off the floor on my way to the bathroom, yawning as I looked over the texts that had come through that morning.

There was one from Alice, saying she loved me. That made me smile; she was such a peach.

There was another from Rose, asking if I still wanted to come over for dinner at her house later on.

The most recent were from Edward. There was a small series of them:

_Sry about last nite_

_U rly pissed me off tho_

_Why r u acting so f*d up lately_

_Ok im rly sry_

_U can call the dogs off now_

I frowned at the last one, cryptic as it was. What the hell was he talking about? Finishing up in the bathroom, I crawled back into bed. For once I had nowhere to be, no immediate plans to deal with. Alice had mentioned going into Seattle with Jasper and Rose was spending the day with her grandparents, who were visiting from out of town.

Another text came through, from Jacob this time. I grimaced, not in the mood.

_U ok? Sorry I wasn't there when Cullen acted up._

Obviously, he'd heard. I was sure everyone had by this point. I didn't even care. The majority of people at the beach the night before were ones I'd grown up with, kids I went to school with or knew from around town. They'd seen worse and no one would even care in a day or two.

What I hadn't anticipated when it all went down was how awful it made me feel that Edward would treat me that way. I _knew_ I'd overreacted by smashing marshmallows on his face, but his cocky remark had just…done something to me. He'd made it quite clear that I had feelings while he did not. How was I supposed to respond to that?

I missed our old, easy rapport, the way it had been for years before. Unhindered by romantic - or horny – feelings, we'd spent hours goofing around together or with the rest of our friends – at the beach, battling it out on playstation, going to the movies, having dinner at each other's home's. It was perfection and we'd gone and messed it up by letting hormones get in the way.

Flopping back onto my pillows, I quickly typed a response to Jake.

_No big, I'm fine. kinda tired today tho._

I pressed 'send', hoping he'd take my subtle hint that I wasn't in the mood to hang out.

He replied instantly.

_Want me to come over? I can bring a movie._

Dammit, Jake.

_No that's ok. Maybe 2morrow?_

I cringed, chewing on my lip as I waited for him to respond.

_:( ok. feel better._

Whew.

I felt a little guilty, but I'd always made it a practice to be straightforward…well, until this Edward disaster. Perhaps I'd do well to follow my own rules and be honest with him. Obviously I couldn't handle what we were doing, but we'd been friends long enough that hopefully the awkwardness wouldn't linger too long after I explained to him that we needed to keep things physically platonic.

I sent Alice a text of reassurance, telling her I was tired but okay and that I loved her too. Then I replied to Rose, promising I'd be at her house no later than seven. Last, I texted Edward, my heart skipping like a scratchy CD.

_apology accepted and I'm sry too, but u were being a jerk_

I held my phone, hoping he'd reply sooner than later. He did.

_How was I being a jerk?_

_Ur stupid comments. Anyway w/e. what about dogs, now?_

I waited, but he didn't reply. My stomach felt anxious and tense; I hated it. Grabbing my remote, I flipped the TV in my room on and snuggled deeper down beneath my comforter, determined to enjoy my lazy day.

My mother woke me up a little later. "French toast, Bella?"

Sitting up, I stretched and smiled, my grumbling tummy audible to us both. "Yes, please." I leapt out of bed and began to follow her, but she stopped me, frowning.

"Put some pants on, Edward's downstairs." She turned and continued on down the hall, leaving me feeling all funky. I backtracked over to my dresser, pulling on a pair of sweatpants, and ran a brush through my hair. I'd washed it when I came home late the night before, not wanting to sleep with seawater dampening my pillows, and now it looked like a bird's nest.

Oh, but the house smelled good as I jogged down the steps and into the kitchen. French toast was a Saturday morning tradition; my dad almost always went fishing early so it was just Mom and me.

And apparently Edward, today.

"'Sup," I grunted, giving him a nod as I took my place as the counter. He was already halfway through his plate of French toast.

"I'd forgotten she makes this on Saturdays," he commented, spearing an obscenely large piece on his fork.

"Yep." I decided monosyllabic was the way to go.

He rolled his eyes at me and that's when I noticed the bruising around his eye. Frowning, I opened my mouth to ask, but decided against it and we ignored each other for the rest of the meal.

"I have to run into town to pick up a few things, Bella," my mother announced, drying her hands on a dishtowel. "You don't need anything, do you?"

I shook my head, carrying my empty plate over to the sink. "No mom, thanks. This was awesome, by the way."

She grinned, kissing my cheek. "Sure, honey. See you later Edward."

That was how close Edward and I had always been; my own mother had no qualms about leaving us alone together in the house. Little did she know.

"Bye, Renee," he called, waving as she left.

"You done with this?" I huffed, picking up his plate.

He nodded, sitting back in his chair.

"What the hell happened to your eye?" I asked, rinsing the plates before sticking them inside the dishwasher.

"Jacob Black happened," he said dryly, draining his glass of orange juice.

"Oh, that's what you meant by calling off the dogs," I said, trying not to smile. Too bad I'd missed that.

"Some idiot told what happened and he got all up in my face."

I nodded, not sure how I felt about Jacob's heroics.

Edward watched wordlessly as I wiped syrup from his placemat and mine. Tossing the rag in the sink, I turned on my heel and started back upstairs.

"Come on," he griped. I heard him slide his chair back.

He followed me into my room, shutting the door and locking it.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked, my eyebrows disappearing into my hairline.

"What's with the games?" he asked, coming toward me.

"No, seriously. We're not doing that anymore. Obviously it…it doesn't work."

"Is this about Jacob?" he asked.

"No, stupid, it's about you. And me."

"What about you and me?"

Scowling, I sat on my bed. "That's exactly what I mean. We make out, and then act like nothing happened. That's fine for you, but it's making me feel weird. I can't turn my feelings on and off like a faucet."

He climbed on to my bed, kicking his shoes off. "I don't turn them on and off."

"Yes, you do. At least, you act like it."

He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "So complicated."

"Then go," I snapped, folding my arms.

He sat up, pushing me so I was lying flat, pulling me further onto the mattress so my legs were off the ground. "I don't want to go."

He tried to pry my arms apart, but I kept them closed. "I'm not kissing you."

"Why not?" he gave up on my arms and buried his face in my neck, sucking on my skin.

This feeling went straight through me, culminating in a tingly ache between my legs. I tried to push him off, but he pinned my arms down, shifting so he hovered over me.

"I'm sorry," he said seriously. "For last night. You just make me so…mad sometimes."

"I know the feeling," I said, a little too breathlessly.

His eyes trailed down, away from my eyes, to my mouth, and then my chest. He grinned slyly. "No bra?"

"I was in bed, Edward," I retorted, feeling my face turn red.

"Mmm," he hummed, looking into my eyes again. "Can I kiss 'em?"

"No."

"Can I kiss you?"

"Oh, you're asking now?"

"Yeah."

"No."

He came in to kiss me anyway, but I turned my head.

Even though the scent of syrup and him was making me gooey inside.

"Stop it," I begged, wanting him to do anything but stop.

"What do you want?" he asked, releasing my hands but not moving.

"For things to be normal between us," I said, my heart racing.

"I don't want them to be normal," he said, staring at my mouth. He pressed closer, bringing all of him into contact with all of me.

I relaxed my legs, and then, without thinking, wrapped them around him.

* * *

_can i just say how amusing the comments and reviews are? ha. some of you think edward went too far, some think bella was totally wrong._

_frankly, i think they're both immature and communication-impaired. and horny. _


	5. Argyle

_All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization._

* * *

Monday morning was overcast and cool, a sharp contrast to the interlude of Indian summer heat we'd been experiencing for the past couple of weeks. I pulled a sweater on over my shirt, and reluctantly traded my flip-flops for sneakers. Looked like fall was coming in with a vengeance, chasing the remnants of summer away the way our dog used to chase the mail truck down the street – aggressively.

Saturday had ended up being a lot more physical than I'd ever meant it to be. I knew that if I was going to play cool it in school on Monday, I needed to come to some sort of decision as to what I wanted out of this arrangement with Edward. Could I be the type of girl who kept her emotions at bay while she fooled around? Probably not. To think I could was ridiculous.

I let Edward hit second base before kicking him out. We weren't going to go any further than a boob grope or two and I didn't want to encourage him, so he had to go. I was way too attracted to him, and too sexually frustrated, to allow us to pass the point of no return. Kissing and touching were one thing… below the waist shenanigans were another. I wasn't ready for that.

Sunday had been, thankfully, an Edward-less day. I'd spent it reading, doing homework, and avoiding Jacob's texts. That made me feel sort of guilty… poor guy never did anything but like me. And, until Waterbed-Gate, I'd liked him too. Regardless of what happened now with Edward, things were probably never going to progress with Jake and I needed to buck up and tell him so.

The school week began again before I was really ready, and I drove myself to Forks High wondering what version of Edward I would encounter. I didn't see him until third period, when he and I had English Lit together. My attraction to him was slowly but surely evolving into an actual crush. This terrified me. I hadn't had a real crush since eighth grade and now I had one on a close friend. He slipped into class seconds after the second bell rang, looking terribly appealing in loose, dark jeans and an argyle hoodie. I realized I'd always liked that preppy, ridiculous hoodie on him, even from before. He rocked it like nobody's business.

He quickly dropped into a seat next to Emmett, not even sparing me a glance. A month ago, I wouldn't have even been paying attention to care if he said hello or noticed me. Now it made my stomach hurt.

Ugh.

Despite the foreboding cloud cover, it had yet to rain. As usual, Alice, Rose and I went outside to eat in the quad along with the majority of the student body. No one wanted to spend any more time indoors than they had to, and we all knew to take advantage of the rain-less-ness while it lasted. Em, Jasper and Edward were tossing a football around, goofing around more than anything. I sat down on the grass, leaning against a tree, and proceeded to open my brown paper bag.

Edward strolled over and sat down, placing his head in my lap.

"Hey," he said, his eyes a similar green to the granny smith apple he was eating.

"Hey yourself," I smiled, fighting the urge to run my fingers through his hair which I knew from experience was so extremely soft.

"Does your mom ever make you those peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches anymore?"

I made a face. "You're still interested in marshmallow after Friday?"

He paused before realization hit, and then he laughed. "I guess…"

"Yeah, she makes 'em sometimes. Why, you wanna trade?" I shook my head; trading sandwiches and snacks had been the thing to do back in the day. It had been a while.

"You have one?" he asked, looking surprised.

"No."

He frowned. "You suck."

Lauren Mallory appeared. I glanced up at her, smiling politely.

"Hi, Bella. Edward, can I talk to you?" she said, her own smile decidedly acerbic.

"Okaaay," he sighed, jumping up. Lauren spun around and started walking; Edward followed, not even bothering to wipe the grass off his behind.

Not wanting to really pay attention to them, I turned to Alice and Rose, who were bickering about the lyrics to a song we'd all gotten into recently.

By the time Edward returned, I'd finished my turkey and cheese sandwich and cherry coke zero.

"What was that all about?" I asked curiously, noticing that Lauren had looked pretty irate walking away from Edward.

He shrugged, sitting on the grass in front of me this time. "She wanted to know why I haven't been returning her calls."

"Why haven't you?"

He shrugged again.

I rooted around in my backpack, looking for gum.

"She asked if we were friends with benefits, " he continued, lifting his hands to make quote marks with his fingers.

"What did you say?"

He pulled a tuft of grass out of the ground. "I said I didn't know but I didn't want to hang out with her anymore."

"Hmm," I intoned, finding an unopened pack of cinnamon gum. "Want a piece?"

"Sure."

"Was she pissed?" I asked nonchalantly, not really looking him the eye.

"She said I was an ass."

"You _are_ an ass," I snickered, standing up.

"I'm coming over tonight," he informed me as we walked back toward the school building.

"For what?" My face heated up, thinking of all that kissing.

"The bio lab?" he said, rolling his eyes. "Due tomorrow?"

"Oh yeah. Okay, I'll see you later then," I said, turning to go in the opposite direction.

Halfway to class it occurred to me.

Edward and I didn't have a lab due.


	6. Racehorse

_All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization._

**_this should give you frisky folk what you desire._**

* * *

"I have to piss like a racehorse," Edward moaned, making a hideous face that I assumed was massive discomfort.

"Then go pee, jeez," I said, pursing my lips in annoyance.

I knew I should have just followed my instincts. Earlier, at school, when Edward had mentioned our lab and I'd then realized we _had_ no lab… well, I'd suspected he might be trying to run game on me.

To be fair, there was the vague possibility that he'd genuinely confused the lab dates – they were due every second and fourth Friday; tomorrow was the third Friday of the month.

But more likely, he knew and was counting on me not knowing so he could mess with me. It was becoming more and more apparent that Edward maybe/actually liked me. He was starting to return the very feelings he'd been so cavalier about before, and he didn't know what to do about it. Why else would he harass me this way? Were there no other girls he could fool around with?

Edward stumbled to my bathroom, slamming the door behind him. He was drunk. On a school night. I was knee deep in history homework when he came over with a backpack full of liquor instead of text books.

I managed to scrawl a conclusion to my history assignment and was shoving the notebook back into my bag when he came out of the bathroom.

"So, you ready Bella?" he asked, sexy in a sloppy way.

"For what?"

He pulled two bottles out of his bag; vanilla flavored rum and Hypnotiq.

"Which one do you want to start with?" he asked, shaking the bottles.

"First of all, I can't believe _that's_ what you have in your school bag. And second, I'm not drinking anything the color of toilet cleaner." I said, nodding toward the Hypnotiq.

"So vanilla it is," he mumbled, twisting the cap off. He took an unnecessary swig and handed me the almost full bottle.

I took a couple of sips, _much_ smaller ones, before re-capping the bottle and setting it down on my carpet. "So…I thought we had a lab to do tonight."

Edward had the decency to look sheepish. "Um, I thought we did, but apparently we don't, so…"

"So you thought it would be okay to just come over anyway?"

He made a face. "What's the big deal? I've always just come over."

"That was before. Now it's just…weird."

"Back to this crap again?" Edward huffed, scowling. "I think things have been pretty progressive lately."

"Like how?" I wanted to know. "Like you telling Lauren you don't know what the deal is but you don't want to hang out with her? And then telling me you don't know what the deal is but you _do_want to hang out with me?"

A slow smile spread across his face, like butter sliding across warm pancakes.

"Yuck," I said, standing. "I feel like I don't even know you anymore."

"Cut this emo crap, Bella," he snapped suddenly, getting up also. "I'm the same person I've always been; you're just seeing another side."

"Same thing," I muttered, folding my arms across my chest.

Edward's eyes fell on a pair of pewter frames on top of my nightstand. Alice, Rose and I were in one, squished into the back seat of Jasper's car. Edward and I were in the other. We'd been at a concert two summers before, and he'd hoisted me onto his shoulders so I could see better. There had never been a lick of chemistry before, nothing, never. Just a good old fashioned friendship.

He grinned, picking up the picture and studying it for a few moments. "I'd just gotten my braces off," he mused, shaking his head.

"Mhm," I nodded, feeling my heart soften again. "Good times."

"I'm still him and you're still her," he said quietly, replacing the frame to its spot.

"I know, but we're different now together. Anyway, I'm kind of tired of talking about it," I sighed, sitting at my desk.

"I thought you wanted to talk about it," he said, wrinkling his forehead.

"I do, I mean… I do, but we're going in circles," I said, rubbing my eyes. Something tickled my knee and I looked down, my stomach tingling when I saw that Edward was kneeling in front of me.

"Let's go for it," he said, his eyes sort of sparkling. I had old Christmas lights strung up around my room all year 'round and they were reflecting in his eyes, making them flicker.

My stomach tingled more, tightening into an excited, tense knot. "You mean like, be together?"

"Yeah," he shrugged, inching forward so that he was between my knees, his arms resting on my thighs.

"Okay," I said, running my fingers uncertainly through his messy hair. "Are you going to remember this conversation tomorrow?"

"I'm not that drunk, Bella. Speaking of which, have some more." He twisted away so he could grab the bottle of vanilla rum.

"Why are we doing this on a school night with my parents downstairs?" I whispered, taking several sips. It really was my favorite; so sweet and yummy.

"Didn't you finish your homework?" he asked instead, standing and pulling me up with him. Nodding, I put the cap back on.

We tumbled on to my bed, the bottle rolling to the floor.

"Shh," I giggled, hoping my mother wasn't still downstairs to hear the thump the bottle had made.

Edward kissed me slowly, licking his sweet-like-vanilla tongue over my tongue. One of his hands sneaked to the hem of my cut-offs and started snaking its way up. I gasped against his mouth when his fingers slipped beneath my underwear. He'd made it there so quickly.

And then I let myself go, not caring about anything but Edward's fingers, rubbing me, slipping and sliding and making me squirm. Our kisses became hot and desperate and messy and wet, and I moved my hands from his hair so I could slide them under his shirt.

He touched me until I came and then withdrew his hand, fisting it near my head. "Not gonna lie," he said quietly, breathing almost as heavily as I was. "I want to be in there."

I nodded, coming down and trembly.

"Edward?"

He gazed down at me, his eyes going from my eyes to my mouth and back to my eyes. "Yeah?"

"I'm not a plaything, okay?"

He frowned, shifting so he was next to me. "I know..."

"Do you?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I do."

"I'm not like you. I can't handle this if it goes further and you're not...into it. Don't hurt me like that," I whispered.

It was strange; I could almost see it flash across his face, what I'd been trying to tell him. That we were in a different place now, that yes, we had crossed a line and he couldn't really keep jumping back and forth across it.

He smiled a little. "I'm into it."

* * *

_ha, i heart you guys._

_i put a link to the argyle hoodie on my profile b/c i was asked a couple of times what it looked like._


	7. Testosterone

_All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization._

_this was originally drabble length, so i filled it out some._

* * *

Ever since I'd let Edward put his hands in my pants, he'd been making overtures to go further. It had become a joke between us now and his antics usually made me laugh (when they weren't making me come). I doubt that was his intent, but nonetheless, it was amusing.

Well, maybe it _was_ his intent. Between the dirty texts and the hilariously inappropriate emails (God-awful Kamasutra videos he'd found on YouTube) there was a lot of snickering going down. It had gotten to the point where I had to look over my shoulder when opening messages from him, not wanting my mother to walk in as I scrolled through his usually-with-illustrations requests.

Rose thought it was hysterical.

"I always knew the little shit had it in him!" she'd squealed when I showed her and Al my Edward label.

Alice thought Edward was a weirdo.

And that I was a weirdo for having an Edward label in my Gmail.

He'd been behaving himself as well, limiting his flirting. Frankly, I didn't care who he flirted with and I told him so - as long as he wasn't, like, messing around. I just couldn't do that. If I was going to be _that way_ with Edward, we needed to keep things between us. Sharing is gross.

But Edward was a naturally friendly person, and we'd been friends forever. He was the life of the party, Mr. Personality at school and social gatherings. I wasn't going to suddenly put the lock down on him because I was suspicious or jealous. This was either going to work or it wasn't. No amount of coercion on my part was going to secure things if they weren't already.

Besides, no one besides my girls even knew we were fooling around.

I liked it that way for now.

* * *

Edward scooted back and forth rowdily on his waterbed, making waves.

"You have way too much fun with this thing," I laughed, my belly sloshing with the soda I'd just sucked down.

"I really do," he agreed, plopping down beside me. He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me on top of him. "But we could have so much more fun…"

"Careful, there. I might puke Dr. Pepper all over you. It would kill the mood for sure."

"Some people are into - "

I held my hand up. "Don't wanna know. For serious. Yuck."

"Just sayin..." His eyes fell to my chest, and he slid his hands so that they gripped me by the waist.

"There is such a thing as too much knowledge, you know."

"Fetishes fascinate me." He moved his hands so that they were beneath my shirt, skin to skin.

"Do you have any fetishes?" I asked, resisting the urge to run my fingers through his hair. He'd let it grow out some during the summer. I really liked it.

"Nope, I keep it basic. _I wanna sex you up_!"

I made a face. He couldn't sing for crap. "Ew, where'd you hear that, Garret's old cd collection?"

"VH1, actually."

"Nice."

"Right? I'm putting together a mixtape for when we have sex on the beach."

"You have too much testosterone coursing through your veins. I don't think I've ever met anyone as horny as you."

He nodded, smiling serenely. "That's probably true." He rocked his hips up a little, grinding suggestively into me. "So, today?"

"No, not today." I wasn't sure why I was stalling. Maybe because then that would _really_ be the point of no return.

Or maybe i just got off on the anticipation.

"When?" He toyed with the hem of my tank top.

Leaning down, I kissed the corner of his mouth. He smelled really, really good. "Saturday."

"Saturday," he echoed, moving his face so our lips met. "That gives me something to look forward to."

"Is that all you have to look forward to?" I teased, nipping his lip.

"No. I can't wait for prom, _ohmygod_," he said, his voice high and breathy and girly.

"Shut your face," I snorted, rolling off of him.

He rolled to his side and pulled me closer.

"I never would've taken you for a cuddler," I remarked, circling my arms around his neck.

"Me neither," he admitted.

He tucked his hand down the back of my pants, just high enough that he knew I wouldn't pinch his hand away.

"So... Saturday."

"Mhm."

* * *

so i have an official banner, made by famouslyso. she's like, my banner bestie now (she created the ones for Curtains and With or Without You also).

and the very sweet india-rose made me a banner too. *kisses*

both links are on my ff profile.


	8. Blizzard

_All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization._

* * *

Alice and I were lying in my bed on Saturday afternoon, talking, when Edward showed up with two Dairy Queen Blizzards in hand. One of them was chocolate chip cookie dough, the one thing he knew I absolutely could not resist. I'd loved those things since we were kids.

He gave me my sweet treat and then leaned against the wall, watching me as he spooned ice cream into his mouth.

Alice smirked my way, straightening her shirt as she stood up. One of the things we'd been talking about was me and Edward and the ongoing evolution of our friendship…relationship…whatever it was at this point. She thought it made sense, that it was a natural progression, similar to how Rose was crushing on Emmett and she was jonesing for Jasper. These boys had been a part of our lives for as long as we could remember.

Other boys had come and gone, just like other girls had come and gone for them. But somehow, some way, our core group stayed connected.

She zipped up her hoodie and leaned over me, kissing my cheek.

"Bye, Bella. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Ha," I snickered. "What does that leave?"

"Funny," she said, reaching up to ruffle Edward's hair on her way out. "See you guys. You coming out later?"

I glanced at Edward, wondering what he had in mind for the night. "Maybe, I don't know yet."

Well, that wasn't completely true. I knew what he had in mind, what he wanted to do. What _we_ wanted to do. It was kind of funny actually, the way we constantly referenced it, sometimes dancing around the subject, sometimes coming right out and saying it. It was this point of mutual fascination lately, like two little kids about to play doctor.

After over a decade of being _just friends,_ Edward and I were going to sleep together.

For real.

"What're you looking at?" I asked, my tongue already going numb from the ice cream.

He didn't answer, opting instead to join me in bed.

We ate quietly for awhile, licking our spoons and slurping and gulping. He finished first, setting the empty cup on my nightstand.

"Who was your first?" he asked, out of nowhere.

I folded my legs. "Peter."

"Peter?"

I nodded.

"Wait, camp counselor Peter? Peter Greene?" he choked.

Suppressing a grin, I nodded again.

Edward shuddered. "That's disturbing."

"Oh, whatever," I laughed, putting my empty cup beside his. "Who was _your_ first?"

"Tanya Denali."

"Tanya?" I gasped incredulously. "Garrett's girlfriend?"

Garrett was Edward's older brother. He'd been a senior when we were freshman, which meant that his hot tamale of a girlfriend, Tanya of the supermodel mane and mile-long legs, had been at least four years older than Edward when she'd deflowered him.

Edward lay back on the bed, smiling smugly. "We did it like, five times."

"I don't believe you!" I cried. "Did your brother ever find out?

He cocked his head, giving me a look. "Are you kidding me? He'd have killed me for sure. Anyway, that was back in the day. It's not like it matters now."

"Whatever you say," I chuckled, shaking my head. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"Bella. You had sex with our camp counselor. He could have been arrested, dude."

"He was eighteen, I was sixteen. Not that much of a difference," I retorted, sliding off the bed. I crossed over to my closet to get a sweater. Now that I'd downed the Blizzard, I was chilled to the bone. Things like that were better consumed in the swelter of summer, not the biting chill of autumn.

I heard my bed creak as Edward got up, too. "Sixteen? So… that was the summer before last?"

"Mhm," I said absently, pulling a thick pair of socks on. Edward didn't say anything after that so I looked up at him curiously. He seemed… out of sorts. He looked back at me eventually, clasping his hands behind his head as he stood over me.

"Did you hook up with him this summer, too?" he asked casually.

Blushing, I nodded.

"Weird," he said softly.

"Not really. I mean, you've been around the block more than a few times," I shrugged, keeping my tone light. Never once had Edward's past conquests – or actual girlfriends – bothered me, and I wasn't going to start tripping now.

"I think you think I've been with more girls than I have," he said, shaking his head. "Anyway, you ready?"

"Yep."

My heart fluttered.

He waited while I grabbed my bag and then followed me out, down the hall and the stairs. I ducked into the living room, where my parents were watching TV.

"Going out?" Mom asked.

"Yeah," I kissed her and then my father briefly on their cheeks, hoping my face didn't look as red as it felt.

"Drive safe, Edward," my father mumbled, not taking his eyes off the screen. To them, this was like any other night, me going out with any one of my friends. And in a way, it was.

Sort of.

So why was I so nervous?

"No problem. See ya Charlie, Renee," Edward said, giving them a small wave.

In the car, I was hyper aware of Edward's proximity, imagining I could feel the heat from his arm as it lay next to mine on the console between us. He stretched his fingers, linking them through mine.

My stomach quivered.

It didn't take long for us to get to the Cullen's. Edward grinned down at me as we walked through his front door, throwing his arm around my shoulder.

My heart started beating faster and faster and by the time we were upstairs it was racing. Edward shut the door, locking it, and kicked off his shoes. I slipped my shoes off too, wondering if I should leave my socks on. I didn't want cold toes, but sex with socks would be ridic.

Being with him this way had been on my mind ever since we'd gotten drunk in my room and I'd let him touch me the first time. I was excited, because my feelings for him were growing, but I was super nervous, too. Peter-the-camp-counselor was the only guy I'd ever slept with, and I'd only done it three or four times. What if I was a lacking lay?

Wait a minute. This was Edward we were talking about.

"You look like you're going to the electric chair," Edward teased, tugging me by the belt loops.

"I'm fine," I said, letting him pull me over to that damn waterbed. We tumbled gracelessly on to it.

He ran his hand just under my shirt, over my belly button. "We don't have to, you know."

"I want to."

He kissed me slowly, touching his lips to mine before pushing them apart. Exploring my mouth with his tongue, he shifted so that he was on top of me, warm and perfect between my thighs.

I slipped my fingers through his hair, loving how soft it was against my hands.

"I'm taking your sweater off," he said, pulling us both into a sitting position so he could do just that. My shirt came off too, leaving me in my bra and jeans and socks... which he pulled off, one by one. He paused, looking at my chest, kissing it before moving to unbutton my jeans.

I watched as he took off his clothes, too, and then climbed back on top of me.

"Bella," he whispered, his eyes soft as he bit his lip. "You're really, really pretty."

"I'm already sleeping with you, you don't have to talk me into bed," I joked, shivering. I wrapped my arms around him to warm up.

"It's weird, seeing you like this." He gazed at me as he stroked his thumb down my cheek. "You're sort of ... perfect. "

I quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." He kissed me again, on my mouth and then my neck, sucking and licking until I was writhing beneath him. He slipped his fingers into me, making me moan, my coherence draining like an exhaled breath.

"So wet," he groaned, pulling his hand out of my panties. He rolled us onto our sides to unclasp my bra and then took it off, his eyes immediately going for my breasts. "Wow."

"Stop it," I giggled, his compliments making me all gooey inside. "You're silly."

"No I'm not," he laughed back, scooting down and sucking a nipple into his mouth.

"Oh," I breathed, my body stiffening in pleasure. "That's…"

"Mhm," he agreed, pulling his mouth away. I took my underwear off and he flung them across the room.

"You better find those for me later," I warned. Now that we were here I wasn't as self conscious as I thought I'd be. Edward jumped off the bed to yank his boxers off and grab something – I guessed a condom – from his desk.

I watched him put it on, and then he got back onto his bed, which of course, rocked with his weight. I'd almost forgotten this was a waterbed.

"You said you wanted things to be normal between us," he breathed, positioning himself. "This is normal, Bella."

"I know," I said, closing my eyes. He pushed his way inside me, and he felt so good my breath caught, my eyes popping open again and meeting his.

We didn't talk anymore. He moved slowly at first, getting used to the feeling and letting me get used to it, too. It had never been this way with Peter, never felt quite this good, this deep, this arousing.

Nothing fancy, nothing different. Just us, moving together and breathing together, quietly surprised at this level of connection. I could see it on his face; I'd never seen him so serious, so focused on me.

Gentle waves rolled through the bed, soothing and - okay, fine - sort of sexy; I felt like I was floating, except for the epicenter of pleasure between my legs.

Edward leaned back, wrapping one of my legs higher around his body. I eyed his body, how it angled and shifted, muscles and skin, all boy.

"I want you to come," he said, bringing my attention back to his face. His eyes were green, but they were dark.


	9. Beagle

_All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization._

_

* * *

_

"Make me," I breathed back, my voice sort of shaky and betraying the stutter of my heart.

Edward smirked, obviously thrilled with the challenge. "Oh, I can make you come, probably more than once."

"Mm, there's the Edward I know," I said, groaning halfway through as he stopped what he was doing and disappeared underneath the comforter. His wet mouth found my secret spot and I squealed, giggling and squirming under his hands and face.

"Hold still," he commanded, his voice muffled.

It tickled at first, because I was so sensitive but arousal won out and within seconds my eyes fluttered shut.

He licked one way, then the other, teasing me but also bringing me closer. I dug my fingers into his hair, feeling the quivers as my body hurtled toward an orgasm.

No sooner had he reached his goal he shot up and plunged into me, taking advantage of the fact I was wet and weak and completely his right then. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, kissing his neck.

I probably wouldn't admit it to him, but he certainly knew what he was doing.

Afterwards, we lay curled on our sides and facing one another, under the covers, hidden from the world. I'd expected to maybe feel awkward because we'd so irrevocably changed the dynamic of our relationship, but I didn't. Like Alice had said earlier, being physically intimate with Edward felt like a natural step.

Edward grinned, his hands still running over my stomach, poking my belly button playfully.

"Quit it," I chuckled, pushing his hand away.

"You wanna do it again?" he asked, inching his way over.

"Whatever," I shrugged, letting him wiggle his way into my arms.

"Whatever?" He bit at my neck.

"Okay, okay, yes!"

Several romps and a shower later, we went down to the kitchen to find something to eat. The Cullen's ancient pet beagle, Aro, shuffled into the kitchen, pausing to sniff me before moving onto Edward. He watched pitifully as Edward made sandwiches.

"Aw, give him some," I said, scratching Aro behind his ears. Edward tossed him a chunk of tuna, which he practically inhaled, before putting the meat back into the fridge.

"Do you want to go out?" I asked around a mouthful of food.

"We can," Edward shrugged, shoving half of a sandwich into his mouth.

"Guess we're not fooling around later," I snorted, polishing off my glass of juice.

"What do you mean?" he frowned.

"Tunabreath."

"I have gum," he assured me, winking.

The thing I loved most about this new development with Edward was the matter of fact nature of our conversations. He turned my insides to mush and made my stomach flip-flop with anticipation, but I also knew him the like the back of my own hand. This dichotomy of familiarity and nerves was going to take getting used to, but if he was down then so was I.

His cell phone rang. He peered at the glowing screen before answering. "'Sup, Emmett."

He grinned at something Em said. "Naw, she's here…in a while….no….okay, later."

"What did he say?" I pressed, wanting to go to him and - I don't know - cuddle? But I stayed still.

"Wanted to know if we were coming out," he replied.

"Where are they?"

"His parents are out of town, so they're kickin' it by the pool."

"Okay," I nodded. This would be the first time Edward and I went somewhere _together_-together; I wondered how we'd be received. Maybe no one would even notice.

In the car, Edward kept one hand on the steering wheel and the other on my knee. Now that we'd admit to each other how we felt, most of the bickering had been replaced by sly glances. I laughed quietly, shaking my head.

"What?" he asked, smiling also.

"It's just… funny. This. It's so…"

"Random."

"Yeah," I nodded, laying my hand over his.

"But you're okay with it?" he asked, turning to me as we pulled up to a stoplight.

"I am if you are."

The light turned green. "I definitely am."

There were a lot more cars parked in Emmett's driveway than I'd expected. I shouldn't have been surprised; news of a parent-less house travels fast. Instead of going in the front door, we crossed the lawn to the backyard, following the worn foot path though the grass.

I hesitated at Edward's side, unsure of how to handle myself. Part of me wanted to stay beside him; the other felt it would be best to go find the girls. Alice decided for me, catching my eye from across the patio and motioning for me to come over.

Edward was looking at me when I glanced at him. "I'm gonna grab a beer from Em. Want anything?"

"I'll have what you have."

He nodded, touching my arm before he walked away.

I passed Lauren Mallory and Jessica Stanley standing by the grill, red cups in their hands. Jessica shot me a sweet smile, but Lauren rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"I frigging knew it," she sighed.

* * *

_i'm overwhelmed - in a really really good way - by the reviews and comments. thanks so much, guys. sorry i can't respond; i usually try to do so but it's not possible at the moment. but now that i love it. xoxo_


	10. The Cat

_All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization._

_about two chapters after this one. _

_i know. but this was never meant to be lengthy. love?_

* * *

"Well, the cat is out of the bag," I deadpanned, approaching Alice.

She swung her legs from her perch atop the wall she was sitting on, her lips twitching in a faint smile.

Hoisting myself up, I settled down beside her. From our vantage point we had a prime view of the party: Em , Jasper and Edward over at the mini-bar and coolers, Jessica, Lauren and their clique gossiping near the grill, Tyler, Mike and a bunch of guys from the football team smoking by the table and chairs, and a few other kids i didn't know that well.

"So…?" Alice asked, bumping me with her shoulder like she always did.

"So?" I bit back a stupid smile.

"Ooh, you slut, I knew it!" she squealed.

I gave her the evil eye. "Okay, now you need to chill."

"Spill it," she prodded. Only Alice had eyes capable of literally _sparkling._

I shrugged. "You know what happened, Alice, I don't need to spell it out. We did…it…a few times."

"A few times? Damn!"

"Oh, please, like Jasper stops at once," I snorted, rocking an epic eye-roll.

Alice turned the color of rhubarb.

"Ha," I crowed. I knew it! You think you're so slick…"

"_Anyway_, we're discussing the recent developments in _your_ love life," she said, waving me off.

"Is that what we're doing?" I murmured, watching Edward laugh uproariously at something Emmett was doing. I looked away before he caught me ogling though; this was a delicate game we were playing and I needed to make sure I didn't trip up.

_Keep it casual, keep it light. Don't be weird. Don't stare. No clinging. No staring. __Unless he stares._

I snuck a glance out of the corner of my eye.

He was staring.

Inner fist pump.

"What are you smirking about?" Alice asked, poking me with a freshly painted pale pink nail.

I nodded subtly toward the boys and she snapped her eyes their way, a knowing smile creeping across her face. "Ah."

I picked at a string on the hem of my hoodie. "Whatever. It's just…"

She nodded. "I know."

Rosalie sauntered over, resplendent in a sea green maxi dress that she would've been freezing in except she'd matched it with a little jacket. Nothing that girl wore looked bad, I swear.

"'Sup, girlies?" she asked, settling between my legs, her elbows on my thighs.

I gathered her honeyblonde hair in my hands, playing with it. "Coconut?"

"With lemon verbena," she affirmed, shaking her hair like a little pony.

"Smells good," I said, smelling it again. Alice leaned over, taking a whiff.

"Can I smell it?" Emmett snickered, next to us out of nowhere, waggling his eyebrows.

"You already have," Rose sighed, feigning boredom.

"Okay, too much information," I groaned, pushing her from me and into Em's open arms. "Where's Edward? He was supposed to get me a beer."

Cold and wet on my neck answered my question and I yelped, cringing away. Edward grinned, handing me the green bottle in his hand.

"Took ya long enough," I said, immediately berating myself for such coy silliness.

Edward tilted his head, his eyes searching mine. "Been waiting long?"

So, we weren't talking about beer anymore.

I shrugged. "Maybe."

He nodded, two steps bringing his body to where Rose's had been a minute before. My heart dropped into my feet, that fluttery feeling that was really good but super nervy.

We sipped beer, staring at each other. Alice slipped off of the wall, patting my thigh before making a swift exit.

"So, everyone knows," he commented, grinning crookedly.

"That's okay," I said, locking my feet behind him.

"Yeah, it is," he agreed, finishing his brew and settling the bottle on the wall next to me. He wrapped his arms around my waist, bringing us even closer. My heart thumped in acknowledgment, and I started shivering.

"Cold?" he whispered, looking at something behind me.

"A little," I whispered back, trying to calm the quivers.

He looked down, kind of laughing silently.

"What?" I asked, kind of laughing too.

"I heard Riley… talking about how good you look…"

I nodded, glancing over his shoulder. Riley and some of the guys were playing cards. His eyes shifted to mine just then and I looked away before he thought I was checking him out.

"So?" I said tickling my fingers along the hair at the base of Edward's neck.

"So, nothing. It's true. "

"Hmm." My stomach folded in on itself.

Our eyes locked.

"I like this," I said after a moment, lifting my hands to his shoulders. I didn't care who saw us. Like Edward said, they already knew anyway.

He nodded. "Me too. Want another beer?"

* * *

this was emailed to me today, and i found it so fitting. i think we should all participate in dairy queen's fundraiser thingie. it's for the kiddies, 'kay?

oceanic edward and bella will so be there.

http:/miracletreatday(dot)com/


	11. Throbbing

_All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization._

* * *

Edward leafed through the newspaper, stopping when he reached the entertainment section.

"Which one was it again?" he asked, running his finger down the list of movie theatres and show times.

"Firefly Mountain."

He frowned, looking slowly up at me. "You're kidding, right? I can be sensitive and all but that's a little much – even for me."

I laughed, curling my legs up under me on the couch. "Well, what do you wanna see?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "_Anything_ but Firefly fricking Mountain."

"Give it to me," I huffed, holding out my hand for the newspaper. He plucked the page away from the rest of the paper, wadded it up, and tossed it to me.

"Thanks." I rolled my eyes, quickly smoothing the paper. Most of the movies were either too mushy or too plot-less, or one of us had already seen it. Then something caught my eye.

"Edward!" I cried, leaping off of the couch. "The drive-in!"

"The one right outside town?" he asked, tilting his chair onto its back legs. "That thing's still open?"

"They just reopened it," I said, super-excited now. It didn't really matter what we saw; the experience would be fun regardless. "There are five films to choose from."

"Okay," he said, a dubious look on his face. "This feels very nineteen fifties. Let me go get my letter jacket."

"Pssh, whatever," I grinned, pulling my sneakers on. "Let's go."

"Hold on," he said, leaving me alone in his living room.

A couple of minutes later he walked by, the cockiest smile ever on his face.

"What?" I asked suspiciously, following him into the kitchen.

"We're going to a drive-in, right?" He sauntered over to the door leading into the garage.

Edward's brother, Garrett, had been into fixing up old cars while he was in high school. His pride and a joy, a black 1970 Impala with cream interior, stayed in the Cullen's garage now that he lived out of state. He usually took it out for a spin when he was home for the holidays, although sometimes Carlisle and Esme would get all sentimental and drive it too.

"We're taking this?" I asked incredulously. "Are you even allowed to drive it?"

"Nope. But the keys are right here."

* * *

Half an hour later we pulled into the drive-in. We had enough popcorn, candy and soda to sicken ourselves with plus a blanket I'd grabbed from the clean laundry pile on the way out.

We squinted up at the marquee. "Which ones are about to start?"

"Looks like Death Toll 3 or… Firefly Mountain," I read, cackling at Edward's look of dismay.

"Em and I saw already saw Death Toll 3," he said, maneuvering the car over to the screen showing the chick-flick I'd wanted to see from the get-go.

I knew it was going to be a totally formulaic, revoltingly sweet romantic comedy but that's what I was in the mood for. Besides, it was worth it just to watch Edward's disgust. I snickered, unbuckling my seatbelt and snuggling under the blanket as Edward messed with the speaker box next to his window.

"This is so cool." I reached for the box of Lemonheads.

The previews started and I busied myself with stuffing my face while straining to hear.

"You can't turn it up a little?" I asked absently.

That's when I noticed Edward's silence. I glanced over, my hand frozen in the bucket of popcorn.

He smirked, leaning back against the door so that he was in a more reclined position. "We're like, all couple-y now."

"What do you mean?" I set the popcorn on the dashboard, looking around for something to wipe my hands on.

"We're at a drive-in. I let you pick a horrible movie. This is serious."

"So?"

He shrugged. "I don't know how we never noticed each other before, I guess."

"Probably cuz we've known each other for so long, you know? It was like, missing the forest for the trees." I found a napkin in my purse and plucked it out, grateful to get the fake butter off my fingertips.

"That makes no sense," he remarked, digging into the popcorn. "Where's the chocolate?"

I tossed it over to him. "It does make sense – "

"No, what you _said_ makes sense; that expression about forests and trees makes no sense."

I made a face. "Yes it does."

"No, it doesn't."

"Edward. It means, like, you're so focused on the big picture you miss details."

"Oh. Well that makes sense."

"I know." I nodded exaggeratedly at him.

"See, this is why it works." He grinned, popcorn stuck in his teeth.

"What? This?" I wagged my finger between the two of us.

He nodded. "I couldn't be with you if things were all weird, you know? I feel like we're friends that hook up."

"Well, that just sounds like friends with benefits," I said, frowning. "I thought we were more like…"

"We are," he assured me, rubbing my thigh. "C'mon, Bella. You know what I mean…"

"Yeah...I do know," I said. And i did. This was easy; easier than I'd ever expected.

* * *

The sun went down rather quickly.

Firefly Mountain was _nothing_ like I expected; it was much raunchier.

Edward laughed hysterically beside me, totally getting into the pervy jokes and gratuitous breast-flashing while I grew more and more bored.

Suddenly, "Marci" yanked "Chet's" jeans down. They rolled around their tent, and before I could make a comment to Edward about the fakeness of her boobs (and moans), she was enthusiastically giving him a blowjob. Well, it didn't _show it_ obviously, but it was very suggested.

"I don't believe this!" I gasped, putting my soda into the cup holder. "The previews made it look so innocent!"

"I'm letting you pick the movie from now on," chortled Edward, dragging me across the seat until I was almost on his lap.

"Shut up," I whispered, my words cut off by his kiss.

We made out for awhile, our kisses growing more frantic by the minute. I pulled back for a breather right as he adjusted himself.

I eyed his crotch, patting him through his jeans.

He grabbed my hand, stilling it. "You gonna follow through?"

I grinned, shrugging.

He moved my hand in circles over his erection until I shook his hand off and pulled his zipper down.

Pulling me closer, Edward kissed me again, moaning when I reached into his boxers to free him.

"Chet" onscreen moaned loudly, making me snort in amusement.

"Bella…" Edward whined, his head falling back in frustration.

"Sorry," I whispered, rubbing and squeezing him with renewed vigor. We established a good rhythm, and soon I could actually feel his dick sort of twitching and throbbing in my hand. Panting, he grabbed me again, his kisses sloppy and desperate.

"Oh my God I'm gonna-"

Panicked, I let go to grab the napkins.

"Argh! Bella!" he groaned, almost in pain.

"What?"

"Why'd you let go?"

"Jeez, I was just getting ready. I didn't want you to blow a load all over Garrett's car…" I resumed my actions, using both hands now.

His fingers curled around the back of my neck and he bucked his hips up.

Edward-in-the-moonlight-about-to-come was quite a sight to behold. The few times we'd done it, I was as lost in feeling as he was, so it was difficult to concentrate. But now that I was watching him, I could see how sexy he looked… and how out of it.

I had the urge to giggle, but managed to hold back. My hands were getting tired and we needed to wrap this up. Suddenly, I felt his dick pulse in my hand. And then again.

"Ok, ok, ok…" he chanted, stiffening.

He came with a groan and a long, drawn out shudder, all over the napkins I'd so considerately provided.

"Damn," he breathed, sinking against his seat as he tucked himself back into his pants.

I wiggled my fingers, trying to get the kinks out, and leaned over to kiss him.

"Your turn," he said.

Indeed.


	12. Pajamas

_All copyrights, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization._

_

* * *

_

On one hand, nothing about my life had changed. I hung out with my friends during school and after, kicked it with them on the weekends. We still went to Dairy Queen or the movies, goofed off together during lunch, congregated at each other's homes. The increasingly cold, wet weather had pretty much put a hold on the beach bonfires, so that meant more aimless driving around at night, meeting up wherever everyone else was.

In other ways, though, everything had changed.

It was the subtle stuff, the linked pinkies in the hallway at school, private jokes and playing footsie when I'd have dinner at the Cullen's. It wasn't, like, this huge deal but people noticed; more than once I caught people gawking at our lunchtime canoodling.

Because Edward and I had been close for so long, we sort of skipped right through the "getting to know you" stage. If I didn't count the whole marshmallow debacle and the miscommunication right after, I'd have to say our transition from friends to lovers was relatively smooth.

He knew my quirks, and I knew his, so our friendship was the same as ever.

What was new, obviously, was the sex. We were still navigating that, learning each other's bodies, what I liked, what he didn't.

We didn't always do it, which was nice. Sometimes when people reach that point of intimacy with one another the expectation to go all the way is constant. Edward just liked fooling around, and really, so did I.

Or maybe Edward just liked _coming a_nd really, so did I.

* * *

Utterly exhausted from a daytrip to Seattle with the girls, I yawned my way upstairs. I was too tired to take a shower, but I did anyway, feeling sort of grimy from walking around the city all day. I washed my hair and brushed my teeth while I was in there too, tired but addicted to the steamy heat. Shivering my way back into my room, I dug around until I found the pajamas I'd been given for Christmas. There wasn't anything special about them, other than the fact that they were ridiculously comfortable and snuggly; it was like they were hugging me just by being on.

I couldn't have been asleep for long when my phone started singing the stupid melody it sang when Edward called me. There was only one reason for him to be calling at this hour: he was drunk and horny.

Hoping that if I ignored it, it would just go away, I rolled over and began drifting off again.

It started singing again. I was gonna kill him.

"Edward," I whined, my eyes still closed as I held the phone to my ear.

"Can I come in?" he said, slightly tipsy.

"You're not downstairs," I said, my eyes opening. In my exhaustion I'd left my little white Christmas lights on, giving the room a mellow glow.

"I _am_ downstairs, and it's frigging cold."

"No kidding," I threw the comforter off and hurried downstairs, hoping to God my father didn't come out. He slept like the dead, but, he was a cop. Edward had a 50/50 chance of survival here.

As quietly as possible, I opened my front door, motioning for him to keep it down. He followed me back upstairs, both of us stealthily avoiding the one squeaky step.

I locked my bedroom door for good measure and jumped back into the warmth of my bed, patting the spot next to me. "Sleepy time," I said, a yawn garbling my speech.

"Okay," he said, taking his shoes and hoodie off before joining me. He was really cold and I jerked away when he tried to cuddle against me but he dragged me back, molding himself around me.

I was not a big fan of spooning, and normally neither was Edward. But when he'd been drinking? He couldn't get enough. I'd just have to peel him off when he fell asleep.

Sometime later I woke up again, this time to Edward's face in my hair. Confused, I reached back to find my ponytail had been loosened.

"Did you-"

"Yeah." He sounded sober now. "Your hair thing was bothering me."

"You could've just moved over," I said, my heart squeezing when he rolled me over so we were face to face.

"Mhm." His lips were warm as he kissed me. He touched his fingertips along the fabric of my pajama top, following the curves and contours of my breasts, ribs, stomach.

"So what's up?" I asked when our mouths drifted apart.

"You were gone all day." He nudged my chin until I looked away so he could suck on my neck. He knew it would be my undoing, but I didn't mind him playing dirty.

"Yeah," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

"You smell good." He sucked a little harder and then stopped.

"You have to stop doing that." His face was so close it made me cross eyed to look at him. "I'm running out of cover up."

"Sounds like a personal problem to me."

"Sounds like an Edward problem to _me_."

He grinned, working my pajama pants off. "It feels good, though."

"Yeah, it does." I laughed a little, in spite of myself. I loved how he felt when he was between my legs, pushing his hips into me.

"I like your jammies."

"My jammies?" I giggled. "How very five year old of you."

He grinned impishly and damn, he was so cute with his nice skin and his crazy hair.

"So has it been long enough?" he asked after a minute, staring at my mouth before kissing it.

I nodded, my heart picking up speed.

"Nice. That was the longest month of my life."

I rolled my eyes, loving his brand of silly.

"So we can just… do it? No barriers?" he said, narrowing his eyes.

I nodded again, unbuckling his jeans and letting him do the rest. When he had his pants off, he sat back on his heels, pulling his shirt over his head and onto my floor.

One by one, he loosened the buttons on my _jammies_, opening the top but leaving it on me.

"Are we in love?" I asked playfully as he kissed my bellybutton and tossed my panties into oblivion.

He grinned, laying his face on my tummy. "If not, we're about to be."

* * *

**_fin!_**

* * *

_thanks for the superduper plethora of reviews and rec's and comments, guys! i especially loved hearing of your own highschool shenanigans. :)_

_i know this was short n' sweet, but i do have another (normal length) HS fic coming soon. so... yeah. thanks for the love!_

_xoxo_


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